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Radon Levels in Bedford County, Virginia

EPA puts Bedford County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 23.5% of its 749 reported radon tests (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) were at or above 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.

Data checked By Radon411Methodology

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    23.5%

    6.9 pts below VA

    Bedford
    23.5%
    Virginia
    30.4%

    749 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    2.1pCi/L

    Below action level

    Bedford
    2.1 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    749

    18th of 84 by tests

    Bedford
    749
    Fairfax
    8,657

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 2

    Moderate potential

    1. 1
    2. Zone 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Virginia

    66 of 84

    Lowest quarter

    Bedford
    23.5%
    Russell
    67.3%

    By share, of 84 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Bedford County

Starts at Bedford County's median, 2.1 pCi/L

2.1pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 2.1 pCi/L

Between 2 and 4 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 4 and aboveEPA says fix it

This result is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Bedford County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Bedford County, At a glance

Bedford County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Bedford County is a county: EPA's forecast for it as a whole is an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³). It describes no single address, and homes above EPA's are found in every zone, this one included.

USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 85% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Bedford County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory

Reported results by concentration band, Bedford County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 47%2 to 4 pCi/L: 30%4 pCi/L and above: 23%

Of 749 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Bedford County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L34946.6%
2 to 4 pCi/L22429.9%
4 pCi/L and above17623.5%
What these figures count

These are the 749 tests reported to CDC for Bedford County over 2008 to 2017 (laboratory totals), many from homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: they describe the county's reported tests, not this house.

Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Bedford County, Compared

Bedford County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Bedford County's 749 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.1 pCi/L and a maximum of 35.2 pCi/L, and 23.5% reached 4 pCi/L. Virginia as a whole (131 Virginia counties, pooled) comes to 30.4%: 6.9 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 66th of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Russell County reported the highest share (67.3%) and Norfolk city the lowest (2.7%).

Below the action level, 349 tests (46.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.7% statewide, and 224 tests (29.9%) fell between 2 and 4, against 24.9% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Bedford County went from 575 tests (2005 to 2014) to 749 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 21.4% to 23.5%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Bedford County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 85% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 21.2% in Franklin County to 50.9% in Rockbridge County, with Roanoke County and Franklin County below Bedford County.

CDC also counts 51 tests taken after mitigation in Bedford County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Bedford County against Virginia, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Bedford County
Bedford County74923.5%2.1 pCi/LThis county
Virginia, pooled131 counties, pooled53,19930.4%Not pooled+6.9 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+12.2 points
Russell Countyhighest in the state4967.3%6.7 pCi/L+43.8 points
Norfolk citylowest in the state732.7%0.5 pCi/L−20.8 points
Rockbridge County, VAborders it11450.9%4.0 pCi/L+27.4 points
Botetourt County, VAborders it57542.1%3.3 pCi/L+18.6 points
Campbell County, VAborders it36539.7%3.2 pCi/L+16.2 points
Pittsylvania County, VAborders it24238.4%3.0 pCi/L+14.9 points
Amherst County, VAborders it24736.8%2.9 pCi/L+13.3 points
Lynchburg city, VAborders it75325.9%2.2 pCi/L+2.4 points
Roanoke County, VAborders it1,54122.1%1.9 pCi/L−1.4 points
Franklin County, VAborders it57221.2%2.0 pCi/L−2.3 points
Where Bedford County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Virginia and the United States
ResultBedford County testsBedford County shareVirginia shareU.S. shareAgainst Virginia
Under 2 pCi/L34946.6%44.7%39.6%+1.9 points
2 to 4 pCi/L22429.9%24.9%24.7%+5.0 points
4 pCi/L and above17623.5%30.4%35.7%−6.9 points
Bedford County ranked among the 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Henrico County61 of 8460727.0%2.1 pCi/L
Fredericksburg city62 of 8437526.1%2.3 pCi/L
Roanoke city63 of 841,01025.9%2.3 pCi/L
Lynchburg city64 of 8475325.9%2.2 pCi/L
Albemarle County65 of 842,17924.7%2.1 pCi/L
Bedford County66 of 8474923.5%2.1 pCi/L
Hanover County67 of 8416523.0%1.9 pCi/L
Roanoke County68 of 841,54122.1%1.9 pCi/L
Franklin County69 of 8457221.2%2.0 pCi/L
Charlottesville city70 of 8483421.0%1.8 pCi/L
Halifax County71 of 843718.9%2.2 pCi/L
Bedford County ten-year laboratory totals, against Virginia's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestVirginia, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 201774923.5%2.1 pCi/L35.2 pCi/L30.4%+0.9 points
2007 to 201668022.6%2.0 pCi/L35.2 pCi/L30.6%+1.0 points
2006 to 201561021.6%2.0 pCi/L35.2 pCi/L30.7%+0.2 points
2005 to 201457521.4%2.0 pCi/L35.2 pCi/L30.3%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

Bedford County, Geology

The ground under Bedford County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Bedford County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 84.9% of its land is moderate radon potential, with 15.1% high. The map puts 84.9% of Bedford County in the area it calls Blue Ridge and 10.8% in Inner Piedmont, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 12, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Bedford County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Blue RidgeGranite, pegmatite, monazite, schist, and gneiss.Moderate1084.9%
Inner PiedmontGranite, pegmatites, granitic gneiss, schist and gneiss, slate, and phyllite.High1210.8%
Valley and RidgeCambrian dolomite, limestone, shale, and sandstone, Silurian-Ordovician limestone, dolomite, shale, and sandstone, Mississippian-Devonian sandstone, shale, limestone, gypsum, and coal.High154.3%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Bedford County beside the ground around it

Virginia as a whole has more high-potential ground than Bedford County: 47.9% of its land, against 15.1% here. Every one of the 8 counties that border it has more high-potential ground, Rockbridge County the most at 93.8%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Bedford County, the 8 counties bordering it and Virginia
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Bedford CountyZone 2None84.9%15.1%
Botetourt CountyZone 1None6.5%93.5%
Lynchburg cityZone 2None67.8%32.2%
Campbell CountyZone 1None33.9%66.1%
Franklin CountyZone 2None77.0%23.0%
Amherst CountyZone 2None82.8%17.2%
Rockbridge CountyZone 1None6.2%93.8%
Roanoke CountyZone 1None34.6%65.4%
Pittsylvania CountyZone 1None47.7%52.3%
Virginia133 counties, pooled by land areaVaries20.6%30.0%47.9%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Bedford County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Bedford County

What Virginia's program says
Phone
(804) 864-8161
Email
Radon@vdh.virginia.gov
Licensing of radon professionals
The Code of Virginia requires that Radon testers and mitigators be currently certified by either the National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) or the National Radon Safety Board (NRSB).

What it means

Bedford County, Questions

Questions about radon in Bedford County

Are radon levels high in Bedford County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 23.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Bedford County, Virginia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.1 pCi/L. Of 84 Virginia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 65 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.4%.

Which counties border Bedford County?

Bedford County borders 8 counties: Botetourt County, Lynchburg city, Campbell County, Franklin County, Amherst County, Rockbridge County, Roanoke County and Pittsylvania County.

Products

Bedford County, Products

Testing a home in Bedford County

In Bedford County, 23.5% of 749 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 30.4% pooled across Virginia. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Bedford County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Bedford County homes, compared

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Bedford County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Bedford County

Calculated by Radon411

Bedford County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Bedford County

The Census Bureau estimates 83,059 residents in Bedford County for July 1, 2025, 3,469 more than in 2020 (+4.4%). That works out to 109 people per square mile of land. Bedford, its one incorporated place, has 7,911 residents, 9.5% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 749 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 9.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.0 for Virginia.

Bedford is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Bedford County's.

Bedford, Bedford County: residents on July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Bedford7,911+3.7%9.5%

One incorporated place, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).

Bedford County, Homes

Homes in Bedford County

Bedford County is a place of houses on their own lots: 77% of its 37,383 homes are detached single-family houses, against 61% across Virginia. Half of its homes were built before 1989, close to Virginia's 1984: 12% date from before 1960 and 26% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 84% of the occupied homes (Virginia: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Bedford County, Virginia, 2019 to 2023
HomesBedford CountyVirginia
Housing units37,3833,654,784
Detached houses77%61%
In buildings of 5 or more5%19%
Mobile homes11%4%
Built before 196012%19%
Built since 200026%25%
Middle year built19891984
Owner-occupied84%67%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.